Vortex HD Viper 10 x 42 – Gear Review

It goes without saying that binoculars are the gear I never leave leave for the field without. Sometimes I forget my Bow, but never my beloved Binos. Leaving a good pair of binoculars behind, can turn hunting from a near enlightening experience, to miserable. As an avid hunter how many times have you been driving out in the back country or mountains and you see something out of the corner of your eye? Instinctively, you reach for your Binos that aren’t there? Remember that feeling of being unarmed?

During a recent cow elk hunt in north eastern Idaho a few years back, I was hunting with Mike Betts and we had brought substandard optics to say the least. I don’t remember the circumstances other than it was one of those last minute impromptu “let’s go” hunts. Which is a bad idea in its own right but a topic for another post. I will add a memorable quote from a local when the hotel owner left town without leaving a key. “Looks like yuall’ gonna have to go through the winder.” And “winder” we did.

One of the key determinants to hunters owning a great pair of binoculars is that the sport is already shrouded with expensive necessities. Many times the optics take a back seat to the weapon, ammo, boots, camo, backpack, etc. New business idea: A small second mortgage offer in Sporting Goods stores to fund optics purchases.

It was one of my lifelong friends and mentors Todd Johnson who introduced me the addiction of Bow Hunting and the need for good glass many years ago. (You have him to blame for my entry into this business). He showed me the power of glassing and also that it was plausible to spot game at long distances at “safe light.” I also remember the large gasp and subsequent facial flushing that overtook me when Todd disclosed the cost of his Binos.

The dichotomy the average hunter faces is which pair to buy because the variety is immense, and the costs span a wide range. How much should you spend on your Bino’s? In my opinion and the opinion of many others in Hunting, As much as you can afford. Owning a sporting goods store in the a very small town in Idaho, I have noticed, as have my customers, we are on a limited budget when it comes to optics.

Once and a while you don’t need Binos

Sometimes it is difficult to know which pair to buy, especially if you are on a tight budget. Cory Glauner of GotHunts.com suggests Vortex 8×42 for bow hunting. And I can say I like 8’s too. Of course I can freely “try before I buy” any pair I want.

Actualy you can too:

TRY A PAIR OF VORTEX BINOS BEFORE YOU BUY:

If you live in Idaho and swing by the Hagerman Valley Sports and pick out a pair we have in stock.

Leave a Driver’s License or DNA sample and tell us your optics plan (kind of like a flight plan so if you don’t make it out we can send someone in to recover the Bino’s).

Take good care of them and then simply return them. We consider ourselves an “Optics Library” and Vortex supports us in our efforts.

Back to the review

Glauner added, “I prefer Vortex line if I have to part with my hard earned money and the 8 and 10’s most specifically. They are compact enough and with the larger diopiter provide better light gathering in the magic hours”.

If you consider of the all the features, it is easy to see why so many hunters and birder opt Vortex Optics when they want high quality glass without the sticker shock. The Viper HD is a great buy and they retail for much less than a thousand dollars.

If I was to go on about the features and functions of Viper HD’s I could go on forever, and truth be told I may not be the best technical evaluator in the business. It is notable that the Viper HD’s come with (High Density) extra-low dispersion glass for remarkable resolution. Moreover, the Viper HD’s come with fully multicoated lenses which greatly increases light transmission. On top of being fully multicoated, the HD’s come with Dielectric Prism Coating which makes the image the stark bright and extra clear. Vortex also provides the best in industry life time warranty and are legendary for standing behind their products.

Not only do the HD’s come with a larger diopter but the diopter lock in place so once in the field everything in prepared upfront and in focus. Vortex has yet to add the “lens Zamboni” functionally that I need to clean the crumbs and spills that invariably end up on my lens from the drive up.

As far as something to consider on the down side (which are few), the rubber eye cups have be known to attend after hours parties with my socks, one at a time, never to be heard from again. This leaves you with one rubber eye cup which has become annoying for me on more than one occasion.

In my opinion if you are looking for a world class set of Binos for yourself a gift for an avid outdoorsman, the Vortex HD Viper is going to provide you the most superior optics experience for your invested dollar!

Comments

Thanks to your valuable and important post for hunting. This post is definitely useful post to hunting interested and hunting lover. I think this post you says very beautiful for all binoculars details and you given some example is really unbelievable. Thanks again.